Breaking the Trend
by EmmaJ1996
Summary: Harry toys with the idea of mistletoe. In May.


**Breaking the Trend**

**This is dedicated to Floss, aka pinkswallowsun, as it is her birthday tomorrow. Have a great day! (and thanks for putting up with my whiny exam drivel when everyone got fed up!)**

**So Flossie, this is for you! :)**

"Leo, why is this still up?"

"What?"

Taking a withered sprig of what was previously mistletoe from above Leo's doorway, Harry dangled it in front of Leo's face.

"Well, I must have forgotten. Janet brought it in when Nikki was decorating the tree before Christmas. Frankly, I didn't know it _was _still there."

At that moment, Nikki, clearly distracted by the report that her head was buried in, absentmindly slammed straight into Harry.

"Well, Dr Alexander, if I didn't know you better, I'd say that was intentional," Harry smirked.

Nikki, obviously not in the mood for jokes, did not hide her irritation; her face as honest as a mirror. Her brain was also too absorbed with the report to attempt to think of a witty comeback.

"Oh, just grow up Harry," Leo sighed. Then, noticing Nikki's slight animosity towards Harry, he knew for certain that Harry was not the cause of her irritation.

"Are you alright Nikki?" inquired Leo, curious to see just who had annoyed her so much, between her going to a crime scene at 9.30am, and returning to the lab at 11am.

"No, Leo. I'm not bloody alright. The DI on the Chambers case, I thought it could point to murder, but he is so confident that it was suicide. He just wants to label the case as quickly as possible, so he can move on to the cases that will boost him to DCI. I'm sure he's got a personal vendetta against me," wailed Nikki, only stopping because she had run out of breath.

She collapsed into the closest chair to the door, some of her hair falling out of its loose ponytail. Meanwhile, Harry had to fight the urge not to reach out and tuck the golden strands behind her ear.

"Well, maybe we should talk about it. I'll talk to him. Do you want to talk about it?" asked Leo, intent on getting a full picture of the case before attempting to pick a fight with such a precocious DI.

"No," sighed Nikki, getting up and trailing back to Harry's desk, with Harry following closely behind her.

Still holding the shrivelled piece of "mistletoe" between his fingers, Harry tried to cheer Nikki up, and leant over Nikki.

"Shall we Nicola? Don't deny it, I can feel the chemistry," he mocked dramatically.

Looking up, Nikki's lip twitched, blatantly failing to not get sucked in by Harry's infectious smile.

"Well, I see you're having a very productive day, Dr Cunningham," retorted Nikki, exasperated. Having regained her composure, she was easily able to conjure up witty remarks to equal Harry's.

However, catching sight of the "mistletoe", Nikki recoiled in disgust.

"What on earth is that?"

"Mistletoe," Harry replied bluntly.

"No, Harry. That _was_ mistletoe. Now it looks like something I'd do a PM on. Anyway, it doesn't count, because it's May. Think easter bunnies and sheep, not an old Greek myth about fertility and power that permeated into many folklore customs," rattling off an extract of a mythology textbook she remembered from when she was at school.

"What does it matter if it's May? It's even got a bit of a ring to it. Listen. Mistletoe in May. You can't put a price on that!"

Nikki, no longer exasperated nor disgusted by Harry and his shrivelled twig, looked at Harry, incredulous.

"Wow, you really don't get out anymore do you? Must be old age," chortled Nikki, clearly bemused. "When did you last have sex, anyway?"

At this, Harry's grin was wiped quickly off his face. How could he answer this? If he answered as a joke, it looked as if he was avoiding the question. If he answered the question straight, he would have to put up with Nikki's look of sheer entertainment for the rest of the day. Not to mention the constant jibes that would no doubt follow until the end of the week. Then again, if her lied, Nikki would know, as she knew him like the back of her hand. And, more often than not, she knew him better than he knew himself.

Realising he had not spoken in a couple of minutes, Harry decided a joke was his safest bet. However, not even Harry could gauge the extent of Nikki's reaction to what seemed to be a simple joke.

"Well, obviously, I have sex less often than you do," Harry laughed, not realising the apparent hidden meaning that Nikki had discovered.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" cried Nikki, her tone beginning to change.

"Well, let's be honest, how many unsuitable guys have you slept with in the last month?" Regretting it instantly, Harry was practically kicking himself. A voice in his brain was telling him to shut up, so he thought it wise to listen from now on.

"Did it ever, at all, maybe just once, occur to you that I don't like being like this? That I want something more? A future? The husband, children, dog kind of scenario?" At this point, Nikki's voice was becoming hoarse, but it still dripped a poisonous tone, Harry's words clearly upsetting her. Arguing with Harry at such a decibel was taking its toll, as she found her throat beginning to throb.

Harry's face immediately softened as he caught a glimpse of something in Nikki's eye, that he couldn't quite place. Then, at once, he recognised it, for he had experienced it one too many times.

Disappointment.

Disappointment in the way life has panned out for him. The way life had treated him. The way he treated life. The regret, the doubt, the consciousness of it all. Every time he treated life badly, he got a karma slap that knocked him for six. And he hated it. But more so, he hated seeing it in Nikki's eyes. He knew how Hungary had affected her. The grief, mourning, and sorrow, all in vain. He was willing to put her through that. And for that, he was truly guilty.

Nikki, sensing a lack of reaction from Harry, interrupted his train of thought, and continued in a mere whisper, "I mean, I'm damaged goods. Who'd want me?"

Harry smiled with relief, knowing he could repair this situation, "I think the question is, who wouldn't?"

"You." Nikki mumbled so low that she was scarcely audible.

"What? You're smart, funny, beautiful. A complete pain in the arse, yes, but I do love you. Because you are 're Nikki. My Nikki."

"What do you love about me?" smiled Nikki.

"You make me smile when I really don't want to, you cook me dinner when I just wouldn't bother, and you love me when I really don't deserve it. And those are just some of the things I love about you. Because they are the things that make you so quintessentially you." murmured Harry, still perched on "Nikki's" desk, leaning in closer towards her.

And, as his lips found hers, they both knew they had found it. The husband, children, dog scenario that Nikki always imagined. Deep down, Harry always wanted that scenario too, but considered it more a dream, than reality. But here he was, kissing the woman he loved, without the ambiguity of years past. Just love.

Although Nikki had to admit, she was wrong about one thing.

"So. Mistletoe in May definitely doesn't work then?" smirked Harry.

"Well, maybe just a little," backtracked Nikki, nuzzling into to Harry's neck, breathing in the scent that was unmistakably him.

"I love you too," whispered Nikki into Harry's jumper. Never had the two of them been able to agree on something so strongly.

...

However, Leo had noticed something over the years. Harry and Nikki could be the best pathologists in London. Deductive reasoning, complex science and logic were among their many talents.

Because Leo smiled knowingly to himself, from his office, peeking out from behind the blinds. He found it somewhat hilarious that Harry thought he was incapable of taking down a sprig of mistletoe, when he was a Professor, and for good reason. Moreover, he found it unbelievable that Harry fell for such a seemingly obvious trap, having only put the "mistletoe" over his doorway that morning.

Truth betold, it actually _was _a twig from his garden.

Maybe Harry could do with a touch more logic.

...

..

.

**Okay, maybe this isn't very good. And yes, it was written in May, just been so busy with exams that I completely forgot it. But I had a lot of fun writing it. So please review! I will love you forever!**

**And also a big thank you to everyone who reviewed my first fanfic a while back: Somewhere Along the Line: pinkswallowsun, gem.s, tigpop, Ann1119 and Vixi89. You don't know how AMAZING you all are...big hugs to you :)**

**...and my friend Lottie who reviewed under the name "Heath can't be an alcoholic"...for reasons that I won't divulge to save time and much embarassment...**

**(And Lottie, I will give you a cupcake when I see you xxx)**

**If you haven't reviewed it, please feel free to drop me a line or two x**

**Love Em xoxox**


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